Research

On this page, you'll find a "starter kit" of bibliographic and on-line resources to help you explore the theme of "food." As the "One Theme, One Campus" project evolves, you may also submit resources and links to share your own research with others.

﻿SELECTED FOOD-RELATED DOCUMENTARIES

Beer Wars (2009). Directed by Anat Baron. A look inside the cutthroat world of the big business of American beer.

Bite Size (2014). Directed by Corbin Billings. Tells the stories of four youngsters from around the U.S. as they embark on a journey to become healthier and lose weight.

Candyman: The David Klein Story (2010). Directed by Aaron Schaefer. The story of the rise and fall of David Klein, the man who invented Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Chef's Table (2015, 2016). Series creator David Gelb. Goes inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world's most renowned international chefs.

COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret (2014) Directed by Kip Andersen. Follow the journey of an aspiring environmentalist searching for the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.

Dive! (2010). Directed by Jeremy Seifert. Follows director Jeremy Seifert and his friends as they dumpster dive behind several grocery stores in the Los Angeles area to demonstrate the massive amount of food that is wasted each year in America.

Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat (2015). Directed by Philip Lymbery. Examines the hidden cost of cheap meat and the devastating impacts factory farming has on people, animals and the planet are also revealed.

Farmageddon: The Unseen War On American Family Farms (2011). Directed by Kristin Canty. About the escalating fight for food rights in America.

Fat Head (2009). Directed by Tom Naughton. A comedian’s reply to the Morgan Spurlock’s "Super Size Me” about losing weight on a fast-food diet while demonstrating that almost everything you think you know about the obesity "epidemic" and healthy eating is wrong.

Forks Over Knives (2011). Directed by Lee Fulkerson. Examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

Hometown Hero: The Legend of New York's Chopped Cheese (2016) Directed by First We Feast. About the origins of the “chop cheese” sandwich and explores how it became an enigmatic icon of NYC.

Hungry For Change (2012). Directed by James Colquhoun, Laurentine Ten Bosch, and Carlo Ledesma. Explores the connection between food and the increasing rate at which children are growing up less healthy than; links rate of cancer, infertility and other illnesses to environmental factors and examines why.

Ingredients: The Local Food Movement Takes Root (2009). Directed by Robert Bates. About the shortcomings of America's industrialized food system against a rising local food movement, whose proponents are shrinking the gap between farmland and dinner table.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). Directed by David Gelb. Chronicles 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.

King Corn (2007). Directed by Aaron Woolf. Best friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move to the heartland where, with the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of corn; raises troubling questions about how we eat-and how we farm.

Kings of Pastry (2009). Directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker. About Les Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF), a multi-disciplinary globally open pastry competition held every four years.

A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt (2011). Directed by Sally Rowe. Explores the complicated relationships between food critics, chefs, and owners by chronicling the life of chef Paul Liebrandt.

A Place At The Table (2012). Directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. Investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem

Prohibition (2011). Series directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Describes how the consumption and effect of alcoholic beverages in the United States were connected to many different cultural forces including immigration, women's suffrage, and the income tax.

Somm [Sommeliers] (2013). Directed by Jason Wise. Follows the attempts of four candidates to pass the extremely difficult Master Sommelier examination, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.

Soul Food Junkies (2013). Directed by Byron Hurt. To many African Americans, soul food is sacrament, ritual, and a key expression of cultural identity. But does this traditional cuisine do more harm to health than it soothes the soul?

Super Size Me (2004). Directed by Morgan Spurlock. While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

Sushi: The Global Catch (2012). Directed by Mark Hall. Will the worldwide hunger for sushi continue to grow until wild fish vanish, or will new technology like aquaculture keep plates full? Can sustainable sushi restaurants satisfy consumers or will competition for declining resources drive prices so high that only a few can afford raw fish?

The Restaurateur: Danny Meyer (2010). Directed by Roger Sherman. About successful restaurateur Danny Meyer, and how restaurants have evolved; awarded Best Documentary - Food at The Sonoma Film Festival.

The Search For General Tso (2014). Directed by Ian Cheney. Explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.

Three Stars (2010). Directed by Lutz Hachmeister. Takes a look behind the scenes at top-class restaurants and offers exclusive interviews with celebrity chefs from France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the USA and Japan.

Vegucated (2011). Directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson. Follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks and learn what it's all about.

What the Health (2017). Directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. Critiques the health impact of meat and dairy products consumption, and questions the practices of the leading health and pharmaceutical organizations.